Rising Indian shot putter Samardeep Singh Gill broke the meet record while winning gold as the host country and Sri Lanka shared the spoils on the opening day of the South Asian Athletics Federation Senior Championships, in Ranchi, on Friday.
India swept the men's and women's 5000m gold but the Sri Lankans ran away with yellow metals in both the men's and women's 100m dash at the Birsa Munda Stadium.
Gill, the flag-bearer of the Indian team during the opening ceremony earlier in the day, delivered a commanding throw of 19.59m to win the gold. The previous meet record was a lowly 17.71m set by S Kumar Singh in the 2008 edition.
Ravi Kumar, also of India, finished second with 17.95m while Sri Lanka's Mithunraj took the bronze medal.
In the women's shot put, India's Dinesh V missed out on the gold, settling for silver with a best throw of 16.14m, 5cm behind Sri Lanka's Ashmika Keshan.
In the men's 5000m race, India's Prince Kumar clocked 14 minute 22.17 seconds to secure the gold. Currently serving as a constable with Uttar Pradesh Police, Prince showcased remarkable endurance to outpace Sri Lanka's Vakshan Vicknaraj, who claimed silver with 14:23.21 seconds.
The bronze medal went to Mukesh Bahadur Pal of Nepal with a time of 14:25.25 seconds.
India continued its dominance in the women's 5000m race, with Sanjana Singh clinching the gold medal, followed by compatriot Seema, who took silver, marking a 1-2 finish for the home country in the event.
Yodasinghege Chamo of Sri Lanka became the fastest man of the meet, winning gold with a time of 10.30 seconds while India's Pranav Gurav and Harsh Raut were second and third with 10.32 seconds and 10.42 seconds respectively.
The title of fastest woman of the meet went to Mohammad Yamick of Sri Lanka with a time of 11.53 seconds. Compatriot Dewa Thanuji Amasha was second with 11.72 seconds in Sri Lankan 1-2 finish. India's Sudeshna Shivankar took the bronze, clocking 11.78 seconds.
Earlier, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren declared the championships open. More than 200 athletes from six South Asian nations -- India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and the Maldives -- are competing for top honours in 37 events over the next three days.
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